


A Good Day

by LemonyFish



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 16:03:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14139534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LemonyFish/pseuds/LemonyFish
Summary: Joel has been denying his feelings for so long, one good day may change that.





	A Good Day

**A Good Day**

"You ever miss it?" Ellie suddenly asked, jerking Joel out of a midday snooze.

"Miss what?" He responded lazily, shifting his position on his handmade beach chair.

He and Ellie had the day off together for the first time in weeks and Ellie wanted to make a picnic at the pond. It was a warm late spring day and though Joel had quite a few things to get done around the house, he now admitted she made the right call.

"It." The girl said.

He bunched his brow in confusion. "What?"

He heard her sit up from her chair and felt as her shadow blocked the sunlight.

"You know..." She sighed. "It it."

"Girl, what on Earth are you yapping about?"

There was silence once more and Joel thought he was going to be able to get back to his nap. Joel was never a lucky man. So he thought.

"I've known you for about..." She started up again. "What? 5 years now?"

"Yeah, I guess so."  _Had it really been that long now? So much has changed since that first year._

"5 years..." Ellie continued. "And I have never once seen you with a woman."

Joel slowly turned his head to look at the girl.

_Or woman would be more appropriate now. So many things have changed. Why did Maria have to give her a bikini?_

"What business is that of yours, girly?" He asked.

"I just worry," she said, pulling a knee up under her chin, showing off much more than Joel should have been noticing. "I just wanted to know if you were okay with that."

Joel had to force himself to turn away. He felt slightly light headed looking at her in that outfit.

"I am just fine," he said. "Thank you."

"Fine," she said as she put her hands in the air. "Just askin, don't have to be so touchy about it."

After a moment she added. "Tommy said it's normal for guys to go through dry spells."

Joel knew she was egging him on, but he went for it anyway. She wasn't going to have the last word.

"What about you sunshine?" He asked while sitting up himself.

She acted shocked. "What about me?" She feigned innocence.

"I've known you for 5 years," Joel pressed on. "I haven't seen any guys sneaking out of your bedroom in the morning."

"Well," she stuttered. "No."

He grinned.

"None that you have seen." She added.

Joel couldn't tell if that was a joke. He found himself quite a bit more bothered by it than he would have thought. She did look serious.

Now it was Joel's turn to stutter. "I...I didn't know."

"It's not like I've been giving it away Joel," she said. "It's only been a few guys, mainly from school. Maybe a couple of the guys at the dam."

Joel's heart sank. He felt gutted. He knew why, but he wasn't ready to admit that. Ever.

"When?" he managed to growl, trying to keep his emotions in check. The wind was leaving him. He wasn't ready to hear this but had to know.

She suddenly reached over and rapped his head with his knuckles.

"Just fucking with you old man!" She practically squealed with delight at her supposed prank.

Joel could feel his face getting red with anger and embarrassment, even though the rush of relief was soon to follow.

"You little..." he trailed off.

"Man, your face!" she clapped, still proud of her gag. "Priceless."

Joel regained his normal breath and concentrated on bring down his blood pressure. This girl, she had too much effect on him.

He began to think though.  _I've never even seen her talk to a boy for more than a few minutes. She almost shows no interest what-so-ever. Except for the few times I could swear she was looking at me...No, don't go there._

_Maybe she just doesn't care for all that nonsense, after all we have seen I couldn't blame her. Maybe she is gay...huh. Maybe? Really not any of my business._

"So no guys you are interested in down there?" He signaled back down to the town.

"Nah," she shook her head.

"Um..." Joel couldn't figure out how to phrase it, so just dove in. "Any girls?"

Ellie's head swiveled so quickly to look at him he thought she hurt herself. "What? No! Why would you ask that?"

"No reason," he said. There was definitely a reason. She had told him about Riley and even if she didn't say it, it sure sounded like there was a bit more than just friendship there.

As if she could read his mind she explained. "Riley was different. I...I did love her. But I loved her for being Riley. Not because I'm in to girls or anything. I don't think it's like that for me. I loved her because of who she was. She could have been a boy and I think I would have felt the same way."

Joel understood. Loving someone for who they are. Race, gender, these things shouldn't matter. Age though, that was a different thing. That was a whole other can of beans.

"Really," she said. "I don't think its all that important to be with somebody, unless they are the one. You know? I guess I'm waiting for that special someone."

"That sounds like a good plan."

"Besides," she smiled. "After spending all these years with you, how could anyone else possibly be good enough for me?"

He chuckled. "Damn straight. None of 'em are good enough for you baby girl."

She redden a bit. And he realized he was staring at her again and quickly looked down to the pond.

"Reckon you could handle a quick dip in?" He asked, trying to think of anything other than the look of the sun running down her smooth creamy skin, the flair of red still in her hair framing that angelic face. A face he wanted to touch so badly he needed the cold pond water to help him take care of a building problem in his lower half.

"Sure," She said tentatively.

Joel stood and held out his hand. "I've got ya."

"Yes..." she said so quietly Joel barely heard it.

He pulled her up and hand in hand they walked to the shore.

They never got to finish those lessons they started years ago. So Joel knew she would still be a little timid around the water, so he quickly grabbed her and threw her as far as he could into the freezing cold circle of instant death.

Ellie came to the surface sputtering and kicking, about to panic when he dove in and slid up behind her taking her waist in his hands. The tender soft flesh his hands met with sent a shiver down his spine. It felt so right to him, she fit so perfectly next to his body.

He mentally slapped himself, realizing he had been holding her much too long than necessary.

_But, is she leaning back into me? She is! Maybe she won't notice if I just take one more minute, just one more minute to hold her._

Joel pulled himself up right against her back and began to swim backward with Ellie balanced on top of him as he took them to the center of the pond. She rested on his chest as her check and his touched. He relished the feel of her skin on his. Every part of his brain was yelling at him to stop immediately, that nothing good could come of this, only future pain and heartache for one or both of them. His heart, on the other hand, simply said  _Fuck Em._

Her hand closed on his and slowly caressed it with tiny circles. She gave an audible sigh and Joel's body reacted almost instantly. Even in the frigid water the heat was building throughout him. Her touch set him on fire.

He swiftly moved away, holding onto her arms as he had her turn to face him, hoping that she had not felt his response to her ministrations.

Either she had not, or she was being kind enough not to mention it as she smiled at him.

"Marco," she said.

"Polo," he replied with a deep chuckle, remembering when he taught her that game when they first started swimming lessons 4 years ago.

Time with Ellie had become so much more precious in the last couple of years. With her schooling and his work detail, they didn't have much time during the days for awhile. After the big fight about Salt Lake a couple of years back, she actually ended up moving out, first moving in with Tommy and Maria but then moving in with a couple of friends after school was complete. They barely ever spoke for the first few months and sparingly for a couple more months after that.

It was the worst 6 months of his life in 23 years, and that was saying something. At her 17th birthday party she confided in him that she had forgiven him. He honestly did not know why she would. She simply told him, after giving it a lot of thought, what he did was exactly what she would have done if the roles were reversed.

They began to see more of each other from there on. Eventually it started to feel almost like it was before the fight, save one thing. Their time apart had changed Ellie, or it had changed Joel's view of her, maybe both. She seemed to have grown up so fast, she was no longer the foul mouthed, tough as nails, fuck the world, spunky little girl he once knew. She was now a foul mouthed, tough as nails, fuck the world, beautiful young woman. It wasn't hard to notice, no matter how hard he tried.

She got him to dance at her 18th. It was the first time Joel was nervous to touch her in years. She was so stunningly gorgeous in the dress that her friends Ashley and Ellen had made her. A emerald green shimmering satin like gown. She never looked more lovely and her eyes, he could have gazed into them all night.

_Such mesmerizing eyes. Pools of jade._ An opalescent forest he easily can get lost in.

He suddenly noticed that they had been staring at each other for god knows how long. He cleared his throat.

"I think," he said as his voice caught. "I think we should work on your backstroke a bit, see what you remember."

"Okay...," she lingered then tilted her head to the side. "You sure you wouldn't want me to work on another type of stroke?"

Joel was about to question this when he felt her hand come in contact with his abs. He sucked in a breath as her hand began to slowly trail downward. Those eyes he couldn't break away from were alight with mischief, but also seemed to be asking if she should dare continue.

_NO!_ He thought.  _This should stop this instant! It's wrong. Please stop, you deserve so much better than me. Please stop right now, God knows I am just not strong enough to stop you now. There is nothing I want more in this world to lose myself in you. So, please stop, please!_

He didn't move a muscle. His entire body had rebelled against his brain.

Someone cleared their throat. Ellie and Joel turned to the shore to see Maria standing there, Tommy not too far behind, dragging a cooler with a couple boxes strapped to the top.

"Not interrupting anything are we?" Maria said, barely suppressing a laugh.

Joel finally let out his breath as Ellie's hand slowly left his body.

"I don't know," Ellie yelled back. "Joel was just about to teach me something about stroking."

Joel groaned.

Ellie turned back. "What," she said and then pushed off his chest before swimming back to shore in what could only be described as a near flawless backstroke.

_Son of a...When the hell did she learn that?_

"Get your ass out of the water and help me out!" Tommy yelled as he wrestled with the twine that attached the boxes to the cooler.

As he swam back, Joel heard Maria tell Ellie that she thought the picnic was a great idea so she dragged Tommy and Benny up to have dinner.

Joel looked to the horizon and realized it must be close to five o'clock.

_How long were we out there holding each other?_

He walked over to his chair to grab his towel and shirt, when out of nowhere he was hit directly in the head. With a foam football.

"Hi Uncle Joe." He heard behind him.

He turned to find his 3 year old nephew Ben standing there with a stupid grin.

"Nice catch," said the boy.

"Well, catching wasn't really my specialty," Joel said as he bent over to pick up the ball. "I was more into tackling!"

He tossed the ball to the boy, growled and lurched toward him. Benny screamed and turned tail to run. The chase was on!

The family spent the rest of the evening playing, eating, telling stories and laughing. A distant clatter brought the event to a halt as Joel looked to the western skies to see a massive front of dark grey clouds rolling in.

"Looks like a storm tonight."

Tommy looked up and nodded in agreement. "Well, I guess it's time to pack up."

The guys packed up the gear. Ellie grabbed the chairs while Maria gently woke up Benny and picked him up.

"Time to go munchkin," she said.

"Aww," the boy groggily responded. "I don't want to..." He past back out.

A flash lit the sky. The storm was still a considerable distance away, but appeared to be moving quite fast.

As the family entered Maria and Tommy's house, Maria turned to the group.

"We need to make sure everyone is prepared," she said as she placed Benny on the couch and tucked him in. "Joel, could you help Tommy?"

"Sure thing," Joel saluted.

Tommy put the boxes and cooler down. "I will take the North side, you take the South?"

Joel nodded.

"I'll make sure the paddock is secure," Ellie offered. "Make sure the animals are okay."

"Thank you Ellie, great thinking," Maria said. "I'll radio the dam and the perimeter guards."

The weather had already taken a turn for the worse when they got back outside. Before the three split up Ellie grasped Joel's hand.

"Be careful," she said.

Joel pulled her to him and kissed her forehead. "You too."

As she headed around the back toward the farms, Tommy gave Joel a strange look.

"Anything you want to tell me?" Tommy said with an eyebrow raised.

"No." Joel said curtly. "Come on, let's go."

The storm was moving fast, the clouds were already reaching the edge of town, but luckily the wind and rain had held off for a moment. It turned out most of the town was already taking it on to lock down. He noticed most of the lights were now being turned off to conserve power for the fence. Most of the houses had their defensive boards up, with others just finishing the job. He stopped by to help Ashley and Ellen, Ellie's former roommates, with their large front window barricade.

"Thanks Joel," said Ashley. "How was the picnic?"

"Relaxing," Joel responded.

"I bet," said Ellen, receiving a quick pat on the rear from Ashley.

"Could you ask Ell to be here by 9 at the latest tomorrow?" She then asked, rubbing her butt.

"Will do." Joel nodded. "You two be safe."

The two women walked back into the house and Joel heard the door lock.

_Did I miss something? I never got those two._

He double checked with the south gate and found they were hunkered down and ready. He gave the crew a wave and then proceeded to follow the fence perimeter toward the stockyard.

He was within a few steps of the first paddock fence when he heard Ellie.

"You've got to be shitting me!" He heard her exclaim.

He jumped the fence and headed into the stables. He found everything to be tidy and Ellie was sitting at the work table. She looked up as he entered.

"Anything wrong?" he inquired.

"Juno!" Ellie said, waving a piece of paper at him.

Joel looked over to the horse named Juno. She seemed to be in good condition. Still, he showed some concern seeing that Ellie considered the mare to be hers. It was the first live birth the girl had ever witnessed and she was attached from that day on.

"She alright?" he asked.

"They put her on the breeding schedule last week," she said. "They have her penciled in for Friday."

She was shook by the fact, and Joel sort of understood why. He walked up to Ellie and rubbed her shoulders.

"Juno is a fine animal. She is strong and intelligent," he placed his chin on her head. "She is 4 years old, and it's time. Her offspring could be a real boon for the town."

"I know," she said, grabbing onto one of his hands and rubbing his fingers. "It's just weird to think that my filly is gone. I was there when she was born! Now she is going to have a baby."

She turned and hugged him while still seated, her hands around his waist and her face buried in his chest.

"Ready to go home?" he heard her say, muffled through his shirt.

"Yeah," he said, helping her up. "We better double time it."

The skies had opened up and the wind was blowing rain practically horizontal. They took off as fast as they could, Joel holding Ellie's hand the whole way. They were soaked to the bone by the time they reached their house.

"Good Lord," Joel said as he opened the door and ushered Ellie inside. "Gonna be a hell of a night!"

Ellie groped for the emergency flashlight on the end table near the door. She helped Joel get a small fire going in the small wood stove in the kitchen using the tinderbox. They then lit their candles.

"You staying up?" Joel asked as they left the kitchen.

"I don't know," she said, giving a pondering look. "I would have to think of something people can have fun doing in the dark..."

Joel didn't want to touch that with a forty foot pole. He had just got his bearings back from earlier.

"Well, I'm going to hit the sack." he said.

"Okay," she said, looking disappointed.

_Please Ellie, don't give me that face. This is hard enough as it is. I've made up my mind. You deserve to have someone that you will be able to grow old with. Not someone you will have to feed mashed apples to in a few years._

Together they headed down the hallway to the bedrooms.

"Sleep tight, baby girl." Joel said as he was about to turn into his room.

Ellie caught his hand. "Hey," she said."Thanks for coming out with me today. It was a good day."

"It certainly was," he agreed. "It was a very good day. Thank you for planning it."

She got up on he tip toes and he thought she was going to kiss his cheek, but her lips landed on the corner of his mouth. She stayed there for awhile, allowing the heat to start building in him once more.

"Goodnight, Joel." she said, her hot breath tingling his skin.

She then walked into her room, giving him one more look and a smile before closing the door.

Joel entered his room and shut the door. He took a deep breath, fighting the urge to march back out and into her room. He stripped his wet clothes and toweled off. He found a fresh pair of boxers and slipped them on. He sat down heavily on the bed and his eyes swiveled to the door. He knew he shouldn't even think of it. He needed to get to sleep.

_It's for the best. You will only hurt her one day. Let it go._

The fact that he truly believed that Ellie could get hurt was the only reason he slowly laid his head down. He had proven time and time again, he would do anything to protect her. This was going to be no different. He would get over it. Or even if he didn't, she would. She was a young beautiful woman who will meet someone one day that will make her dreams come true. And it will kill him inside, but it will be worth it for her future.

To get his mind off of the woman in the next room, he mentally went through the probable list of repairs that the town would need in the morning. Perimeter checks, electrical line inspections, flooded basements, so on and so on. The trick worked and soon he was dozing off.

His dreams weren't as easily fooled however. He dreamed of her eyes, those jungle green eyes that he so easily got lost in these days. He dreamed of a green gown hitting the floor. He dreamed of her hands exploring, their bodies entwined, fitting together like they always were meant to. He dreamed of their future. He dreamed of their family. He dreamed of her happiness.

His eyes popped open at the sound. He quickly scanned the room, the candle light flickering shadows in every corner. A flash of light came from outside, the storm still raging.

A quiet knock came at his door.

"Joel," he heard Ellie half whisper.

A crash of thunder filled the room and the door burst open. Ellie rushed in and slammed the door behind her. Joel noticed she was wearing one of his older white button shirts that he usually used for special occasions. She also had a pair of ankle high white socks on. Her hair was let out and running down her shoulders. The look was intoxicating and Joel had to shake the thoughts out of his head.

Ellie took his look to be one of mocking her fear. "Shut up."

"Alright," he said. "I guess you can stay in here for the night."

"Thanks," she replied as she started to walk toward the bed, blowing out her candle and placing it next to his.

Joel was about to get up and offer her the bed when another clap outside had Ellie jumping directly into it, kneeling next to him.

She gave an embarrassed grin and turned away to look out the window into the tempest brewing outside.

Joel looked down and noticed that the candlelight behind Ellie was shining through the thin fabric of this shirt showing every curve of her torso, outlined in shadow. He looked back up to see her staring right back.

"So," she said. "How you doing?"

"Well, I was sleeping."

"Boring," she sighed.

"I'm terribly sorry about that," he said. "But I didn't seem to notice."

"You wouldn't," she said under her breath.

He rubbed her shoulder. "You okay?"

She smiled. "I am now," she said as she slipped under the covers next to him.

Joel felt as her butt rubbed down his front. He quickly tried to think of anything else then the feel of it.

"Hey, I forgot." He said. "I ran into Ashley and Ellen, they asked that you get to their place by 9 am."

"Oh," she replied. "Thanks, I almost forgot."

"No problem." Joel said, staring at the ceiling trying to ignore the heat radiating from her into him.

They hadn't actually shared a bed in quite awhile. He scooted back a bit, but it didn't matter, she just matched his movements. He knew this was going to be a long night.

_Is she doing this on purpose?_ He asked himself.  _Of course she is. I am the one that is going to have to think straight. Lord, if you even exist anymore, please help me be strong._

"9 in the morning?" he asked. "I didn't know you got up before noon anymore."

She elbowed him in the ribs.

"They need help with the plans." she said. "I don't know what they expect from me, but what the hell."

Joel didn't know the girls all that well, but was curious.

"Plans?" he said.

Ellie turned around, and Joel was relieved and a little disappointed when he lost the contact. But soon he was looking into those perfect green eyes once more. He wondered if he could make it through the night.

Her eyes were lit up.

"You haven't heard!" she exclaimed. "Ellen proposed! We are planning their wedding!"

"Well," Joel said. "Good for them."

"You don't think it's weird?" she asked.

"Why would I?" he said, defending himself. "This world is too crazy to be worried about who should be marrying who. None of our business."

"That is very progressive of you," she said. "But I didn't mean that. I meant, don't you think it is weird that they are planning a wedding? They seemed perfectly happy just being together. Why go through all the trouble?"

Joel thought for a moment. It was a good question. But the answer was too obvious. He then realized Ellie knew the answer, but was testing him. She had been testing him all day long.

"Sometimes," he began. "You just want to tell the whole world how you feel. To show everyone that you have found the one."

Ellie smiled and nodded. She closed her eyes.

So much time went by, Joel thought she had fallen asleep, so tentatively reached out and stroked her cheek. He didn't even mean to do it, his body just wanted the contact. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"You sure you don't miss it?" she suddenly said.

Without opening his eyes, he answered. "Like you said before, I guess I'm just waiting for that one special person."

"Too bad," she chuckled,"I know of quite a few ladies in town that wouldn't mind a chance at riding the Beast."

Joel looked at her then rolled his eyes as she burst out laughing.

The Beast was a nickname he had picked up during the early days of their time in Jackson. There was a hunter raid in which the leader had used chained up infected to attack the city. The city did well defending itself, they are well armed and fed, but the hunters were desperate so it began to get messy. The hunters launched burning material over the city fences, one actually set a house on fire and Ellie was hurt helping the family get out. This was all Joel needed to take things into his own hands.

Against Maria's orders he went outside the barriers and met the enemy head on. He, along with a few men from the guard, took down the entire invasion within an hour. Joel had been responsible for catching the leader of the hunters. Against his better judgment, Joel only captured the man. He was going to bring him back to the city when the man pulled out a hidden shiv and managed to plunge it in Joel's shoulder. Joel killed him by breaking his neck.

Joel's injuries were moderate, but nothing that Maria's medics couldn't handle. Ellie only had slight burns, but she was furious at Joel when she learned what he had done. Not enough to leave his side during his convalescence.

That was one of the last times they shared a bed. He remembered seeing Maria's reaction when she walked in on them snuggling together. Maria never said a thing, but that was when Joel decided that this place was too good for Ellie, and he was not going to jeopardize that.

He snapped out of his memory to see her smiling at him, half clothed in the candle light, sharing his bed. He was having trouble remembering why it was so important to not touch her. He wanted to, so badly. Just once and he could die a happy man.

"How do you know that your one special person isn't here in this town?" she asked, turning to look at the ceiling, her chest now rising and falling right in front of him. He tore his eyes away.

"I guess," he paused. "I guess you just know."

"That's what Ash said when I asked her about Ellen." Ellie said. "She said she knew the moment she realized that she could not picture her life without her. A life without Ellen was not one she wanted to picture."

She was silent for a moment. Joel had nothing to say. If he talked now, it would be over.

"Have you ever felt that way about anyone?" Ellie asked, still not looking at him.

He wasn't sure how to respond, luckily he didn't have too, since she didn't wait for an answer as she continued, unrelenting.

"Is there someone that brings a smile to your face every time you see them? Is there someone that you think about every night? Someone that you want to spend every free second with? Is there someone you feel so comfortable with that you don't even have to speak and you are understood?"

Joel closed his eyes. She knew. She knew him. Why would he ever think that she wouldn't know every thought in his Neanderthal like brain. How could he think he was hiding his heart from her. And still she continued.

"Is there someone that takes your breath away with each touch? Someone you want to grab and hold on to forever? Is there someone that you would protect with every ounce of yourself? Someone that you know that you just can't live without?"

He felt her move and he felt her eyes on him, then her hand on his chest...directly over his heart. He swallowed.

"Joel," she said, barely above a whisper next to his ear. "Is there someone that you love so completely, so absolutely, so consumingly, that it just scares the hell out of you sometimes?"

Joel forced his eyes to remain shut. The rest of him gave up and he felt himself nod in the affirmative.

"Who?" she said, her lips so close to him. Her body now so close he could feel her breasts on his arm, through her shirt. "Who do you love?"

"Ellie..." he managed.

"Damn right," she said before he felt her lips collide on his, her hand moving up to cup his jaw.

He let himself get lost in the moment, relishing her taste as her mouth opened and he took his cue to invade. He lifted his free arm and ran his fingers through her hair before pushing down and deepening the kiss. She tasted salty sweet, she tasted of his dreams. He felt her hand start to inch back down to his chest where she started to explore him in soft circles, massaging him and gently scratching her nails across his skin.

He felt her press closer to him and he bucked back into her with a growl. When he heard moan he shifted their position so she was now more on top of him and his other arm was free to explore her body, memorizing her shape, as if he didn't already know every curve.

She moved away from the kiss for a second then he felt her on his neck as she kissed and licked her way up to playfully nibble his earlobe.

"Ellie.." he managed.

"Yeah?" she said breathlessly.

"Oh god.." he got out as he felt her hand brush against the front of his boxers.

"What do you want Joel?" she whispered, breathing heavily in his ear. "What do you need?"

"You." he said simply. "Only you."

Suddenly he felt her move and a rush of cold air hit him as Ellie jumped off the bed. He shook his head in confusion. He looked at her through the dim light to see her...dancing? She was shaking her rear and jumping up and down.

"Ellie?" he choked.

"I knew it." she said with excitement. "I just knew it!"

Joel didn't understand what was happening. The cloud of lust and tiredness from the day combined with the loss of blood from his upper body, creating a surreal scene in front of him.

"Ashley said no way, even Maria wasn't sure. But I knew it. I could feel it!"

A scary thought crossed his befuddled mind.

"Ellie..." his voice cracked a bit. "Was this another prank?"

His heart almost snapped in two at the mere thought that this whole thing had been one of her beloved, though not well though out, practical jokes. Could she possible be this cruel? He didn't believe it, but it seemed just as unlikely that this beautiful angel could possibly be in love with a crusty curmudgeon as himself.

She must have seen the panic and pain cross his face as she immediately ran back to him and kissed him.

"No, no, no!" she said, kissing up and down his face. "No, this is no joke. I'm just so happy! I couldn't resist celebrating a little bit. I love you more than anything in the world, and I have been waiting for this for so so long!"

And there it was. He still couldn't believe this was happening, even with her molesting him on his own bed. She loved him. It was all to good to be true, and he dreaded waking up at any moment to an empty bedroom.

"I love you," she said again, plainly, looking directly into his eyes, as if she knew it wasn't getting through his thick skull. "I am in love with you, Joel."

She looked worried, until he let himself grin. A grin that almost hurt, it stretched so wide.

"I've loved you for so long," she said, kissing him between every few words. "I just didn't know how to tell you, or how you would even respond when I did. Believe it or not, you are a hard man to read sometimes when it comes to emotions and junk."

He chuckle at that certain truth.

"I had a good feeling lately though," she continued. "I figured that you had some feelings for me, but that you were probably over thinking it. I get it. You are afraid of our age difference. You are afraid of what other people are going to think."

She took his chin in her hand and looked at him.

"You are worried about getting even closer than we already are, then something happening to one of us. You are worried about leaving me."

Joel sighed. "Maybe I'm not that hard to read."

"Well," she winked. "I've been paying close attention. Some would say an obsessive amount of attention."

"Maria?" he asked.

She nodded. "She caught me checking out your ass while you and Tommy were working on the bandstand last month."

Joel realized something she had said earlier.

"Wait...How many people have you talked to about this?"

Ellie's expression went blank for a second, then she put up her innocent little girl face.

"Uh," she sputtered. "A couple, maybe four or five..."

Joel's eyes narrowed.

"Okay," she threw her arms up. "I'm not that experienced with all this stuff. I had to find out what some of the others had to say about it, what they thought. I swear I tried to make it sound like I had the hots for some guy in the dam crew, but no one bought it. I don't think I am as good at hiding my feelings as I think I am."

Joel rubbed her arms, showing that he wasn't really that mad.

"Apparently," she continued. "Most of the town thinks we are a couple already."

This shocked Joel more than anything that had happened that night. He couldn't believe this bit of info.

"Seriously?" he asked skeptically.

"Honest!" she said nodding. "Ash and Ellen have known me for too long, and Maria and Tommy would have known, but most of the other girls were surprised to find out that you and I weren't together already."

She stopped to think for a second.

"Mr. Dauber still thinks I am your daughter. So we might want to be careful around him. That one would be hard to explain, that's if he survives the heart attack he most likely would have if he saw us making out during the Friday night movie."

"So most of the town knows," Joel said, still thinking.

"Most likely, by now, I guess." she shrugged.

_Four or five, my ass._  He thought.

She touched his cheek. "You mad?"

"It was a pretty dangerous thing to do Ellie," he said. "What if someone did have an issue? What if they wanted to kick us out?"

"Maria would never allow it!" Ellie said, assuredly.

"Maybe..." he said, his mind not allowing him to get over this fear that he had had for so long now.

"Hey," Ellie said, snapping him out of it. "Like you said, sometimes you just want to tell the whole world how you feel."

Joel was speechless at that statement. This unbelievably perfect young woman was so excited about her feelings for him that she just wanted to tell everyone. She was ready to risk her own future in this place for his love. She seemed so giddy after their first kiss, still only a few minutes past, she was overcome with happiness, she actually really did love him. He could see it in her face now, how had he ignored it before?

He saw now why she had been testing him all day. Maybe for the last month now. Seeing how far she could go, seeing what he thought about love in general. She must have planned this for some time in advance. That means she was nervous. SHE was nervous about how he felt.

Most of the town apparently knows already, and they haven't burnt him at the stake as of yet. Of course they may only know that Ellie has a crush on an older guy, things could still change when they find out a 53 year old man is in love with a teenager.

He knew it didn't matter now. She was the reason he lived and breathed. She was his beginning and end. A bit melodramatic, he knew, but true all the same. She is in love with him, and she has said it many times over. He still couldn't believe it. She had said it.

_SHIT! I didn't say it back!_

"Joel?" she asked, noticing his relapse into silence. "You still with me?"

He grabbed her hands in his. "Always." he said.

Her smile at that was a scene he would remember for the rest of his life.

"Ellie, baby girl," he started. "I've never been great at...expressing my...feelings. It wasn't in my upbringing."

He took a breath. He decided to lose himself in those eyes once more, and this time he wasn't coming back.

"The reason I don't miss other women," he said. "Is because I already am with the only woman I could ever imagine spending my life with."

He pulled her closer, noticing a tear starting to form in her eye.

"You began as a chore," he smiled. "You became my partner and somehow managed to turn yourself into my best friend. You were my savior on many occasions, and eventually my reason to move forward. You became my life."

Her tears started to run down her checks.

"I don't know when it happened." he said. "But I knew you had become my...one. Ellie, you are the one. The one I've been waiting for. Your were right, I was afraid of how others would react. I was afraid of ruining your future. Mostly I was afraid of hurting you, or losing you."

He rested his forehead to hers.

"Ellie...I love you more than life itself, and I don't want nothing else in this world than to be at your side till the end of me."

Ellie grabbed him then and pulled her down on top of her with a kiss.

For the first time in his life, Joel finally understood why it was called making love.

LATER

The first rays of dawn were crawling over the horizon, wondering through the window and illuminating the most gorgeous site Joel had ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Ellie was asleep on his bed, completely naked, and it was glorious.

He had awoken about an hour before and he just had to sit there and watch her as she slept. He had tried to stop himself from thinking about this relationship so many times, he lost count. The things they did last night had been relegated to his dreams only. And he always assumed that he would feel regret or shame for acting on his feelings. He sat there looking at the love of his life, and felt nothing but complete contentment and love.

One of the roosters gave his call and Ellie shifted, her eyes fluttering open. Joel could see the confusion that she was feeling at being in the wrong room, but soon a big grin formed on her face. She scanned the room and settled on Joel sitting near the window.

"Good morning," he said softly.

"It certainly is," she said stretching herself, Joel took in every nuance and felt stirrings below.

"Have you been watching me sleep?" she asked in a mock shocked tone.

He nodded.

"Naked?" she asked.

He nodded, more emphatically.

She smiled. "Perv," she said.

He nodded once more.

She patted the bed.

"Come back," she said in a sad voice. "I'm lonely."

He jumped up and slid into the bed holding onto her.

They held onto each other for quite some time, absorbing the feel of each other.

"No regrets?" Ellie asked.

"No," he responded, simply and without needing to think.

"Good." she said. "I do have one more confession though, since we are getting things off our chests."

"Okay," he said.

"I'm not actually afraid of thunder and lightening." She smiled.

"Since when?" He asked.

"Well..." She paused. "Since ever."

He raised his eyebrows. He remembered all the nights on the road, during their first year together, where she had to sleep right up against him because she was so freaked out.

"I made that up a long time ago," she confessed. "At first it was just a safety thing. But eventually I just missed not being near you. I guess that's when it started. It might have just been biology at first, but I needed to feel you, to smell you near."

He nodded.

"Not mad?" she asked.

"Why would I be?" he shrugged. "To tell the truth, I missed you on the nights you would sleep alone."

"Oh!" she seemed surprised, then she pushed him on the shoulder. "I was just a little innocent 14 year old girl, you sicko!"

He knew she was joking, so he grabbed her wrist and wrestled her down.

"Innocent, my ass." he growled, feeling her shutter in response.

They made love again, this time getting to explore more of each other, keeping eye contact during most of the time.

Afterward, as they lay next to each other, Ellie suddenly giggled.

"You love me!" she exclaimed.

"I do," he said, kissing her softly. "I really, honestly do."

It was a good day.

** THE END **

**Author's Note:**

> Brought over from my FF account. Posted there about 4 years ago.
> 
> This story was part of a much larger one, involving their first years in Jackson, the hunter invasion, their fight, her schooling, her moving out, etc. I still have that all outlined, but I finished the last part of the story and felt that it could stand on it's own. And I never got around to finishing the rest. Oh well.
> 
> Hope you liked.


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